Spain is considering forging an anti-British alliance with Argentina, adopting
its strategy over the Falklands Islands, as the diplomatic row over
Gibraltar intensifies.

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Drivers wait in line along the road of the Gibraltar International airport to enter to Spain at its border with the British territory of Gibraltar in front of the Rock (rear) in Gibraltar, south of Spain Photo: REUTERS

Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo will use a trip to Buenos Aires next month to raise the possibility of forging a joint diplomatic offensive with the South American country over the disputed territories, sources told Spain's El Pais newspaper.

Spain's foreign ministry was also discussing whether to take its complaints over Gibraltar to the United Nations, the newspaper reported on Sunday.

The sources did not specify whether Spain would ask the UN to back a request for Britain to give up sovereignty or just adhere to certain agreements.

It could take its petition to the Security Council or take up the matter with the UN General Assembly.

Spain is also considering the option of denouncing Gibraltar to the International Court of Justice in the Hague for its "illegal occupation" of the isthmus - the strip of land connecting the peninsula to the mainland that was not included in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht.

Mr Margallo, who has threatened retaliatory measures against the Rock that include a 50 euro border tax and the closure of Spanish airspace to Gibraltar traffic, will meet with his Argentine counterpart to discuss a new alliance.

Spain has always been careful over showing support for Argentina's long-standing claim over the Falkland Islands against its EU partner, and has had its own recent problems with the country.

Last year President Cristina Kirchner, nationalised oil company YPF, a subsidiary of Spanish firm Repsol, causing outrage from Spain's government and striking a blow for bi-lateral relations.

But according to sources cited in El Pais, the nations' two foreign ministers would meet to discuss an alliance in the UN over Gibraltar and Las Malvinas – as the Falkland Islands are known in Spanish.